Hobbyhorse



April 3, 1968 R. A. S-TEWART 3,379,433

HOBBYHORSE Filed June 16, 1965 10 6O Fi.i

FIG.

INVENTOR.

ROY A. STEWART United States Patent 3,379,438 HOBBYHORSE Roy A. Stewart, Newport, Nebr. 68759 Filed June 16, 1965, Ser. No. 464,415 4 Claims. (Cl. 27252) 'My invention is directed toward a hobbyhorse.

It is an object of my invention to provide a new and improved hobbyhorse which can be used by a rider of either sex young or old both as a means of amusement or as a means of exercise and practice for riding actual horse.

Another object is to provide a new and improved hobbyhorse of the character indicated which utilizes a novel and useful coil spring suspension.

Still another object is to provide a new and improved hobbyhorse of the character indicated which can be manufactured easily and inexpensively.

All of the foregoing and still further objects and advantages of my invention will now be explained with reference both to this specification and to the accompanying drawvings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side view of my invention;

FIG. 2 is a view taken through 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the cylinder of FIG. 1 with coils and channel and plates removed;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the channel; and

FIG. 5 is :a plan view of a spring end plate.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-5, there is shown a hollow steel cylinder having a honizontal axis. A horse head 12 has a neck .14 secured to one end of cylinder 10. A tail 16 is secured to the other end of cylinder 10.

The underside of cylinder 10 adjacent the head bearing end is provided with first and second sets of holes 18 and 20 which fall in two parallel lines parallel to the axis of the cylinder. The underside of cylinder 10 adjacent the tail bearing end is provided with a third set of holes 22 which also falls in a line parallel to the axis of the cylinder, this line if extended extending parallel to the two aforesaid parallel lines and interposed there'between.

A fiat elongated metal channel 24 having vertical end pieces 25 is provided with two spaced apart holes 26 registera ble with corresponding holes in sets 18 and 20 respectively. By means of nuts and bolts 40, channel 24 can he secured to the cylinder 10. A pair of joined rings 28 on channel 24 can be connected to a pull rope 30 which in turn is connected to handle 32. End pieces 25 hold the channel in position against the side surfaces of cylinder 10.

Channel 24 carries two spaced apart horizontal slots 34 disposed on opposite sides of holes 26. A steel spring end plate 3'6 is positioned under each slot 34 and has a hole 38 aligned therewith.

Nuts and bolts 40 extend through slots 34 and holes 38 in plates 36 and holes in adjacent ends of separate vertical coil springs 42 and 44 to secure these springs to the underside of cylinder 10 adjacent the head end.

An additional plate 36 has its hole 38 alignable with any one of the holes in set 22, and nut and bolt 40 ex- 3,379,438 Patented Apr. 23, 1968 tend through the hole in this set, hole 38 and a hole in an adjacent end of an additional vertical coil spring 46 to secure this spring 46 to the underside of cylinder 10 adjacent the tail end.

The bottom ends of each of these coil springs is circumferentially disposed about a corresponding vertical post 50*, the three posts being embedded in and extending upward from a concrete plate 52 mounted for example in a dirt sunface 54. Springs can be secured to posts (for example wood posts) by staples 56.

By suitably securing the side plates and channel in selected holes of the three sets of holes, the springs can be moved toward and away from the corresponding ends. By sliding the nuts and bolts in slots 34, the two adjacent coil springs can be moved toward and away from the corresponding ends. By sliding the nuts and bolts in slots 34, the two adjacent coil springs can be moved toward and away from each other. As a result, the spacing between springs, as well as that between the springs and corresponding ends, can be adjusted for the needs of any particular rider.

A handle 60 can be secured to the top of the cylinder adjacent the head end for use by the rider.

My invention can be used for recreation, physical fitness and exercise. It can be used for practice in riding horses. It is a device to sharpen the balance and coordination of the rider as well as to develop strength.

To operate this horse, a person sits above the two front coil springs with a hand in the handhold and feet and knees slightly forward. The rider can operate the horse by moving back and forth. Alternatively, when another person pulls and releases the pull rope in timing, the rider can either try spurring as one does on a rodeo bareback bronc or can just try to ride it with all his best judgment of what it will do next.

An association approved bareback rigging (surcingle for one hand) can be used on my model in place of No. 4 on the enclosed diagram. It is positioned so that the rider sits above the two coil springs.

My invention is superior to others of the same nature in that it does simulate a bucking or galloping horse. And too, this invention can be made adjustable to compensate for youth or adults, heavy and lightweight. Another advantage is that it has no motor or moving parts to wear out.

While I have described my invention with particular reference to the drawings, my protection is to be limited only by the terms of the claims which follow.

Having \thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

'1. A hob byhorse comprising a horizontal cylinder having a horizontal axis, a first vertical coil spring extending downward from the underside of said cylinder adjacent one end thereof, and second and third vertical coil springs extending downward from the underside of said cylinder adjacent the other end thereof, said second and third springs being positioned side by side and disposed syrnmetrical-1y about said axis and means secured to said cylinder and the ends of said second and third coils adja- 3 7 cent said cylinder to adjust the horizontal separation between said second and third coils.

2. A horse as set forth in claim 1 further including second means on said under surface to adjust the distance bet-ween said one cylinder end and the end of said first coil adjacent said cylinder and to separately adjust the distance between said other cylinder end and said adjacent ends of the second and third coils.

3. A horse as set forth in claim 2 further including a horizontal base positioned below said cylinder and third means detachably securing the other end of each of the springs to said base.

4. A horse as set forth in claim 3 wherein said third rne'ans includes first, second and third vertical posts eX- tending vertically upward from the base.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 348,513 8/1886 Con'over 27353.2 2,746,754 5/ 1956 Martel 272-52 FOREIGN PATENTS 5,291 1912 Great Britain.

ANTON O. OECHSLE, Primary Examiner.

R. J. APLEY, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A HOBBYHORSE COMPRISING A HORIZONTAL CYLINDER HAVING A HORIZONTAL AXIS, A FIRST VERTICAL COIL SPRING EXTENDING DOWNWARD FROM THE UNDERSIDE OF SAID CYLINDER ADJACENT ONE END THEREOF, AND SECOND AND THIRD VERTICAL COIL SPRINGS EXTENDING DOWNWARD FROM THE UNDERSIDE OF SAID CYLINDER ADJACENT THE OTHER END THEREOF, SAID SECOND AND THIRD SPRINGS BEING POSITIONED SIDE BY SIDE AND DISPOSED SYMMETRICALLY ABOUT SAID AXIS AND MEANS SECURED TO SAID CYLINDER AND ENDS OF SAID SECOND AND THIRD COILS ADJACENT SAID CYLINDER TO ADJUST THE HORIZONTAL SEPARATION BETWEEN SAID SECOND AND THIRD COILS. 